Gracie’s Ice Cream

We’ve gone a few times and it’s never been necessarily good. On Saturday night we had this poor teenager working his ass off while his co-​worker sat at the register talking to his friends about video games.
The ice cream was melting so they had to put them in cups. I feel like this place could be good but they don’t do anything to make it good. The space itself is odd with bare walls and shelves. They way they set up their topping caddy isn’t doing them any favors. They’re just not efficiently run. It could be better but they’re certainly not trying.

Gracie’s is a good place to go if you live within a five minute walk — it’s nice to have something to do in the neighborhood that isn’t drinking alcohol.
…but that’s not enough. Gracie’s feels like an ice cream shop run entirely by teenagers, surly attitude included. In the past two weeks, Gracie’s has had their ice cream machines break twice, run out of ice cream, and run out of spoons — each time resulting in an unannounced closure. Like I said, it’s fine if you live within a five minute walk — but don’t bother making the trip from any farther away. Their active social media presence is only (very good) photos of ice cream, not accurate opening and closing information.
Honestly, I’d be surprised if Gracie’s survived until next summer. Go while you can. But don’t bother with the ice cream sandwiches — the Market Basket brand cereal that forms the outer edge of the ice cream sandwich is soggy and the quarter cup of ice cream doesn’t justify the $ 6 price point.

Went here back in the winter when it just opened. A few years ago, wasn’t it? I asked to try a bunch of different flavors and the person working behind the counter felt the need to inform me that during the summer when they are busy they won’t be able to let me try as many flavors (note — they hadn’t yet been open in the summer — she was just ANTICIPATING that they’re gonna be busy).
It really kind of shot me down, because I was trying to get a sense of what they had to offer — seeing if it was the kind of place I wanted to go to regularly in the future – I love ice cream. After that, I decided never to go back.
I mean, it was her and that the ice cream really wasn’t that interesting. I mean… I like Ben and Jerry’s from Tedeschi’s better. Christina’s is tons better, too.
Yeah. It was that one stupid experience. Made me have my stupid opinion.
Crazy the way people make up their minds, isn’t it?
Never went back. Just from that one time… oh! And the place always looks like it’s closed down. You look in the window and there’s crap everywhere. I figured someone exhausted their trust fund.
Don’t you kind of hate Unilocal deep down inside?

I never imagined I could experience true sadness in an ice cream parlor. As it turns out, I had a lot to learn.
Now I’m not saying you might not like Gracie’s. If, for instance, you enjoy sparse selections of bland ice cream served in a medium-​sized janitor’s closet by a droopy-​eyed homunculus on suicide watch, then this place is right up your alley. But for the rest of us, Gracie’s Ice Cream leaves something to be desired.
I went in tonight and was AMAZED at how thoroughly and completely disappointing it was (and bear in mind I’d been frothing with excitement over Gracie’s ever since first reading about them in Boston Magazine a year ago). Where do I even begin… For starters, they had about 8 flavors listed, which while creative-​sounding didn’t have a lot of variety. However, they were out of at least three of those flavors, which nobody bothered to cross off the menu. This resulted in a lot of half-​grunted Nah-We’re-Outta-That-One-Toos from the eleven year old human quaalude at the counter. They were also out of hot fudge, which c’mon, how can that even happen? The ice cream was near flavorless (we tried the Swiss Roll and the Mint Chip, only because the cooler flavors were gone), and even a bit gritty. At this point I started to notice that the parlor itself was eerily quiet; all of the six or seven other customers were speaking in whispers, and a small radio played a somber, tinny, sad-​sounding torch song by what I can only describe as a watered-​down Mazzy Star wannabe*, which echoed off the nearly blank off-​white walls, creating an atmosphere so densely oppressive that it was almost comical. I mean, this is supposed to be an ICE CREAM PARLOR, right? You know, ice cream? Fun and happiness and childhood memories and rainbow effing sprinkles? Yeah, there’s none of that here. It was like a David Fincher-​esque dystopian gulag of sad, flavorless ice cream. And it killed something innocent inside me.
Gracie’s, I wanted to like you. I read nothing but amazing reviews, and I was ready to embark on an ice cream adventure with your toasted Fluff cones and your jolly-​sounding confections. What you gave me, however, was an insult. And rest assured, I’m insulted.
Shut it down.
*Please note, I adore Mazzy Star. This artist’s attempt to emulate the sound, however, failed as hard as the ice cream parlor it was played in.

Tried the Cocoa Pebbles Whisky Ice Cream Sandwich @ Wine Riot Boston. Absolutely delicious and the rep at Wine Riot was super friendly and knowledgeable. A must try. Definitely taking a trip to their brick and mortar soon.

I got a small and regretted it because it was too much and was too filling since ice cream was more watery than creamy. But that’s not what the lone star is for — the lone star is for the appalling service from our condescending server, whose impatience and sarcasm was uncalled for.
My friend asked for recommendations for a «less sweet» flavor, and our server couldn’t resist pointing out that «if it’s ice cream, it’s already sweet.» My friend was more absorbed in picking a flavor than noticing that our server was a lot more civil (and friendly even) to the businessman than to the two college kids. When forced to answer my friend’s question of what the address of Gracie’s was, the server felt compelled to retard her speech, enunciating each syllable as if to indicate her impression of our standard of English.
The treatment received made the ice cream obtained even more unenjoyable.

You can find Gracie’s Ice Cream at 22 Union Sq, Somerville, MA 2 143 in Union Square alongside India Palace. This is a small, independently owned ice cream shop easily accessed by foot traffic — I’m not sure about the parking situation but would assume parking can be found in side streets or small backlots.
While visiting Boston for a business meeting my and associate Sid and I discovered Union Square (upon the recommendation by someone at Tavern at the End of the World) and came upon India Palace, where we had a more than satisfying dinner. While standing outside waiting for the Holiday Inn shuttle I mentioned that ice cream would be the perfect end to our exploration — thus we found Gracie’s quite by accident since it’s located right next-​door!
Walking into a small ice cream shop is interesting as you never know what you will find. The outside of Gracie’s in adorned by a folding sign with a couple of hand-​drawn images that were quite fun and cute, with a Halloween motif (we were in Boston the week before Halloween).
The interior continued with the Halloween decoration using the fibrous webbing that seems to be popular among locals. The artwork continued inside with hand-​drawn boards behind the counter.
After asking a few questions we each ordered a scoop on a sugar cone — I tired an interesting orange-​vanilla that tasted like a Push-​Up (which was described quite accurately to me by the person behind the counter (Gracie?). We ate our ice cream while waiting on our shuttle, which of course never showed up. When we called them back they replied «I waited and no one was there» — hmm.
In any case, while waiting we had quite a discussion with, I’m presuming the owner that was interesting, mostly about the Union Square area and it’s recent gentrification. She was quite friendly and informative and provided fantastic service. She indicated that a local artist did the boards upon inquiry. The ice cream was quite good with some interesting flavors — we’ll try to hit Gracie’s again the next time we’re in Boston.
(also posted to my food blog)

Gracie’s is the BEST! They have super creative ice creams like fruity pebble, my personal favorite. They always have little prints and art on their walls.

Union Square is like a tiny hipster paradise. It has everything you need, craft doughnuts, craft coffee, 10xcraft bars and that chill vibe that makes you almost forget how much you’re paying for fried dough, boiled beans and rotten cereal, respectively.
Add to that list ice milk, because goddamn is Gracie’s a welcome addition to the hipster pentagram of Union Square. It’s small, simple, with flavors like salted bourbon and mint chocolate swiss roll blast or whatever. Because this is a hipster ice cream shop, you don’t come here for Turkey Hill vanilla, you come here for organic Moroccan mint black pepper coffee bacon crunch.
The service varies, sometimes they’re super friendly, sometimes they’ve got better things to do than listen to you mangle the artisinal names of their flavors. But, generally they’re a lot nicer than Toscanini’s, which is the high school prom queen of ice cream shops.
The prices are pretty normal, something like $ 7 a pint, which is more or less the same as the other high-​class places.
I definitely recommend the salted bourbon (something like that). They routinely run out of it, which is either brilliant marketing strategy or further evidence that hipsters are bad at commerce.

I had high hopes for Gracie’s, since it looks like such a cute shop with really delicious ice cream, but I was pretty disappointed.
The girl who scooped my ice cream seemed distant and quick to get me out of the shop, so I made a quick decision. I ended up getting a cookies and cream-​type ice cream, and the tiny size I got ended up being around $ 5! It was definitely overpriced for the size, and it tasted like ice chunks rather than quality ice cream.
I might give this place another shot another time, and they could’ve been having an off day, but overall my experience wasn’t that great and my expectations were lowered.

Ice cream is literally one of my favorite things to eat, so shops that offer one-​of –kind and seasonal flavors are a must and Gracies was that next go to spot.
Located in the evolving Union Square area of Somerville, MA, Gracies opened in November 2014 with unique flavors and has become a serious contender for local ice cream shops with its creative offerings. During this visit I got a scoop of the chocolate nilla wafer and black raspberry chip on top of a fluff cone which is not only delicious, but a nice respect to the city that invented Fluff. Did you know that? Yup, that sweet marshmallow spread was created in the fine city of Somerville, MA. As a child I used to eat «Fluffernutter Sandwiches» which is like a PB&J, but instead of jelly you’ve got fluff. May sound funny, but it was GOOD!
Although yesterday was National Ice Cream Day, it’s hot enough today where I’m officially extending it an extra day. If you happen to go to Gracies and like marshmallow, don’t forget the fluff cone :) You won’t regret it. Here’s a link to their site, but know that they don’t list any of their flavors… what’s up with that?! Either way, go check them out.

As a vegan, I’m all about the sorbet. Every flavor I’ve tried has tasted like a genetically modified food with extra Yellow #5. Grape tasted not like… grapes – but like artificial grape flavoring. Lemon ginger tasted like artificial lemon juice mixed with Canada Dry.
Gracie’s, a word to the wise: You’re in UNION SQUARE, Home of the Hippies. Serve your public already. Or you and the meat-​centric contractor-​sponsored Union Sq lunches can GO HOME.

Three words: torched fluff cone. Obviously a Somerville ice cream shop offers a torched fluff cone, and obviously it’s delicious. I visited Gracie’s when it was fairly new, the ice cream was delicious, but I wish they would work on their menu, we couldn’t really tell what was what and if you could even get toppings. But other than that was great.

The flavors selection was very unique and I love the logo, artwork in the shop & décor. Upon closer inspection, it was a bit disorderly behind the counter — like they have been so busy they haven’t had time to keep up appearances. They were sold out of several of their flavors too, another sign that they’re struggling to keep up with summertime demand.
The ice cream flavor itself could be improved upon quite a bit– my boyfriend and I each got a cone with two flavors and of each of ours, we ended up ditching 1 flavor in the trash because they were pretty bland (and that’s saying a lot because I love ice cream!) The pie flavor also had some kind of buttery texture on your tongue like crisco or the post-​cheap donuts mouthfeel you get from Dunkins. Not a fan of that. However, the freshly toasted fluff cone is definitely a winner! They do it with a blow torch right in front of you — cool!
Might be back, but they need to step up their game because Union clearly has needed an ice cream shop — there was a line out the door when I went around 10pm on a Friday night. Oh and they DO have summer hours, which isn’t reflected on their Unilocal page.

Finally got around to hitting up Gracie’s on a hot summer’s evening. The perfect time for some ice cream. I stood in line, eyeing the choices neatly handwritten on a mere sheet of paper taped to the display case. I listened as the woman in front of me asked the summer-​job teen what the «salted whiskey» flavor was about…
«Oh, it’s pretty popular,» he replied gamely, «it’s a little butterscotchy but more like a reduced whiskey, and it’s a little salty.» The woman nodded sagely. Already I was enjoying the service, and doubly so when my date was warned that the cookies’n’cream he wanted was a chocolate base and was that okay? They seemed to be on the ball.
My order was Bye, Bye, My Pie: a cherry-​lemon swirl with pie crust crumble. As we sat down and dug in (I’m not a cone person), I felt a little let down. The flavor was pretty bland– was there even any lemon? And the pie crumble amounted to only a couple of (admittedly good) chunks in my small dish.
The blandness (the same was true for the chocolate), combined with the air-​filled texture of the ice cream to remind me of a Hoodsie cup (MA natives know what I’m talking about). Sorry, I wasn’t feeling nostalgic for my elementary school field trips where we’d get the excessively soft chocolate/​vanilla confections as a treat. I know better now.
Still, maybe for that someone who prefers the softer touch Gracie’s might be perfectly fine. But I’ll stick with the equally local Christina’s.

I was super excited to go to Gracie’s as I live in the neighborhood and I love ice cream… like a lot! We waited in line for a while to grab a taste and both myself and the person I went with were totally let down by the flavor choices AND the samples. I got the chocolate to try and it tasted very watery and not sweet. Sadly, we did not get anything at all.
I would only go back if I heard they revamped everything.

Not the best ice cream I’ve ever had, but good enough that I’d come back. Esp cause the workers here are so nice. I didn’t even have to ask for a sample, they offered me. The ice cream flavors all sound good but when you eat it it’s very underwhelming, like very faint flavor. But, ice cream is ice cream.

I’ve written low-​star reviews in the past about the Sherman Café, and this ice cream shop from the Sherman folks is pretty much in line with how I felt about the café.
Customer service: When I visited, there was one smiley, happy girl and one sullen hipster. The flavors were listed on an 8.5×11 piece of paper taped to the front of the case, so you couldn’t think about what you wanted until you were 1 or 2 people away from ordering. They have a huge chalkboard with a cow drawing on it that would be perfectly suited for listing out their flavors, just like every other ice cream place in the country does.
Ice cream: Nothing special. Christina’s and JP Licks have a better selection and better flavors, I think.
HEALTH CODE VIOLATIONS! The scoopers went from taking cash at the register to grabbing ice cream cones (sans paper wrapper) with their bare hands. GROSS!!!
The Sherman people don’t seem to care about giving their customers a delightful (or even pleasant) experience. I won’t be back.

When I heard about a new ice cream parlor going into Union Square, I was imagining an über hipster place with inventive, intense flavors and high prices. Gracie’s certainly delivers on the hipster cache and the high prices, but their ice cream isn’t anything to write home about.
Unfortunately, they weren’t serving their famous salty whiskey today, so my girlfriend and I got a scoop of Earl Gray and salty peanut chocolate. The Earl Gray was good but the salty peanut chocolate lacked some intensity in the chocolate department and had a pretty ordinary texture. Neither had the ultra rich flavor profiles and dense textures I expect with super premium ice cream. At $ 5 for two small scoops, this is supposed to be a super premium ice cream, right?
Frankly, Toscanini’s blows this place out of the water. Same with FoMu. IMO, Gracie’s is on par with Richardson’s, but with prices that match the super-​premium folks. I almost feel like the owners are taking advantage of typical Camberville «foodies» who think that anything served in small portions by a guy with black rimmed glasses and sleeve tattoos must be amazing.

Gracie’s is the place to go for artisan ice cream. The flavors are very unique – from Salty Whiskey to Guinness, from Irish Cream to Chocolate Fluff. I sampled several flavors, and each was tasty and flavorful. They were true to their names. The ice cream was a perfect consistency; perfectly creamy but not too much. Gracie’s dishes up some excellent quality ice cream.
A definite must have: Salty Whiskey. This flavor is indescribable; it’s something you have to try for yourself.
If you’re not into trying different flavors – if you’re not open to trying an entire new world of tastes – then you may not be a fan of Gracie’s flavors. I implore you, however, to try something different. The staff really tries hard to make each flavor the best it can be. The server during my visit described each flavor I asked about and told me she was happy how each flavor turned out. This shows you each server is personally making the ice cream and perfecting it. How can you not want to try something made with such time and care?
The shop opened in November 2014, so the flavor list is likely expanding. It’s a small shop tucked in a block of businesses that serves up never-​been-​done-​before or unique types of flavors.
I love how the owners/​staff are up on social media by creating and frequently updating the shop’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram. Definitely be sure to check out these pages – you’ll see tantalizing pictures of ice cream that will get you to go the shop, and fast!
If you read nothing else in this review, then read this: go to Gracie’s and try something different! Or you can just look at all the pictures posted on the shop’s Facebook and Instagram pages and wish you had tried something you haven’t.

Gracie’s Ice Cream:
–has the funky flavor variety of Ben and Jerry’s without the «a herd of dairy cattle is taking siege of my stomach» feeling afterwards
–has the creamy consistency of store-​bought guilty pleasure brands like Edy’s or Breyers without that god-​awful chemical aftertaste
–lacks the chunky/​icy problem that plagues so many homemade ice cream places
So far I’ve tried: Earl Grey, Chocolate Fluff, Cookies and Cream, and Gronk Smash (a ridiculous post-​Super Bowl flavor combination that included pretzels… I ate my pint quickly, ’cause damn it was good) and all have been tasty. There are lots of creative flavor combinations (vanilla whiskey! grape nut!) that change frequently, so this might not be the best place to bring someone lacking an experimental palate. That said, I saw plenty of happy kiddos with cones roll through the shop while I had ice cream with a friend, so if they like it, I bet anyone will.
I’m rooting for Gracie’s – they opened at literally the worst time of year to open an ice cream shop in New England (November) just in time for the worst winter we’ve seen in years. If you live in the area, stop in and show your support… and, hopefully, get in while it’s still quiet. I have a feeling this place will have a crazy line come those hot farmer’s market Saturdays!

Fun ice cream in a cute, clean atmosphere (and very nice staff).
I love innovative flavors, and they’re hard to find in Boston (and surrounding towns). Gracie’s gets creative and i am so glad for that! I tasted the pumpkin squash ice cream and LOVED it, bit wanted something with «chunks» so i got the Gold & White dress.
Filled with honeycomb, corn pops and golden grahams ©, it has a theme going on and that’s childrens cereals. Or maybe it’s gold & white dress of internet fame. Either way, the cereal gets a soggy, milk laden texture that is very nostalgic. I like.
I paid extra for a marshmallow fluff cone, but all i got was a little dallop on the edge that they torched. It had a good flavor, bitter caramel, but i was hoping for a lot more fluff on the cone.
Also, why do you guys keep closing? Stay open! I’m ready for more treats.

Pretty solid. The toasted fluff cone (sugar cover spread with fluff and toasted with a torch) is a bit of a gimmick, but a tasty one. Better with chocolate than vanilla flavors. Wait staff are friendly, art is appropriately Union Square hipster, ice cream is good. I think they could intensify the flavors a bit. Salty Whiskey was great on the first taste, but the cold numbing out my taste buds killed the fun towards the middle of the cone.
Still, a good place to hit after one of the growing number of Union restaurants.

As soon as I entered the store, I was looking forward to reading the flavor options. My eyes alighted on a forlorn little piece of paper pasted in the corner of the freezer and I eagerly read… grapenut? Who puts grapenut FIRST on the menu?!?
Anyway, even if Gracie’s flavor list isn’t very skillful, their ice cream definitely is. The salty peanut and chocolate fluff both had a rich, dense, super premium texture with just the right amount of mix-​ins. I’m not sure if they make their own marshmallow swirl or just use Fluff, but it was chewy instead of gloppy, with a nice fragrant taste to it. The flavors are creative while still being comforting; my combination tasted like rocky road! :)
The guy behind the counter told me that they make each chocolate flavor slightly differently – not sure exactly what they mean by that, but hey, it sounds cool.
Although the portions are somewhat small, the prices are reasonable ($ 3.25 for a kiddie, $ 4 for a small, $ 5 for a large, I think), especially for such great quality. The interior is a little stark, but hopefully it will brighten up as Gracie’s settles into the neighborhood. Such a welcome addition to Union Square!

Without a doubt, this is some of the very best ice cream I’ve eaten in recent memory. Thoughtful and creative, the flavors at Gracie’s delighted my palate. I’ve tried the chocolate fluff, the peach, and the blackberry chip. Each was excellent – the peach and blackberry chip both brighter and fresher than I expected. The proverbial cherry on top is the fluff brûlée cone – I can’t even believe the ingenuity! It seems like something that should always be happening. All of the ice cream is made onsite in a beautiful shiny lovemachine. The prices are great, and I just know this is going to be the perfect addition to my favorite square.
Also, for the pop culture minded among us, enjoy the pop art on the walls! I can’t even pick a favorite, what with Pie Hard and The Jesus up there.